Distance Makes The Heart Grow Fond
by vflmaeuschen
Summary: Soujiro has a way of always running away when things are getting important. But one student exchange and a drunken phone call later... Is there still somewhere to run to? Soujiro/Yuki
1. Dare You To Move

A.N.: Hey, everyone! Welcome to my first Hana Yori Dango story! :-D I had a flash of inspiration and wrote down all of this today. It's gonna be a 5-Shot (does something like this even exist? ;)) and it's all written down already, so don't worry about my busy schedule - you won't have to worry about updates ;) To the readers, of my other stories, I promise to get going with those to! I swear I'm working on it!  
Now, onto the story. I hope you'll enjoy it. Soujiro might be a little out of character, I pondered over it quite a lot during writing, but I wasn't able to portray him any better and stay in my story line :-S Sorry for that.  
This whole thing is based on the jdrama version of the story. Doumyoji and Makino are already married, but she is not pregnant yet ;) Yuki is at University. Enjoy!

Chapter 1 – Dare you to move

"Welcome to the planet  
Welcome to existence  
Everyone's here

Everybody's watching you now  
Everybody waits for you now  
What happens next

I dare you to move  
I dare you to lift yourself up off the floor

Like today never happened  
Today never happened before  
Welcome to the fallout  
Welcome to resistance  
The tension is here

Between who you are and who you could be  
Between how it is and how it should be

Maybe redemption has stories to tell  
Maybe forgiveness is right where you fell  
Where can you run to escape from yourself?  
Where you gonna go?

Salvation is here  
I dare you to move"  
_- Switchfoot_

Soujiro's POV

"Nishikado-San!" the girl next to me purred, resting her head against my shoulder. "My drink is gone!"

I chuckled humorlessly, waving the waitress towards me for her to order. Today was not different from any other nights, really – clubs, girls, alcohol… This was what I was used to. Still, why did it seem to lack any appeal today?

It was because Akira didn't come with me tonight, I decided. What had I been thinking, coming here alone? Sure, I had been bored at home, but still…

"Nishikado-San! I'm talking to you!" one of the girls called, pouting.

"Oh, I'm sorry, ehm…" I tried really hard to remember her name, but it just wouldn't come to me. Dang. "I'm sorry, I was lost in thoughts."

"I'll forgive you" she returned sweetly before talking on. What a surprise, I thought sarcastically. Don't they always?

My gaze wavered past her towards the entrance, not really searching for anything, more pondering if I should just get up and leave already. It was not late or anything, but I just was in no mood tonight.

Just when I thought this, I spotted a group of girls entering the club. They seemed different from the usual clientele here, not as high society as everyone else here. More like out of Makino's circles, I thought fleetingly, taking a sip from my drink. I almost choked on it, though, when I spotted a familiar face.

_Yuki-Chan!_

Yuki's POV

"Isn't this awesome!" Miki squealed, linking arms with me. "I always wanted to go into a club like this! It's so convenient that you have a cousin working here, Ayaka-Chan!"

"I know, right?" Ayaka smirked, looking around. "I heard this is the favorite club of the F4! Who knows, maybe we'll meet one of them!"

"This is soooo exciting!" Miki agreed while I tried to keep a poker face. I knew Miki and Ayaka from University, and when they had invited me for a drink or two tonight, I had had no idea what they really had in mind.

Those two did not know of my connection to the F4, and I intended to keep it that way. Tsukushi's history of intrigues had been lesson enough for me to keep quiet about it. I just prayed that no one of them was here tonight, or everything would have been-

"Look!" Ayaka called in excitement. "There's Nishikado-San! Woah, he's so handsome!"

At his name, I automatically turned around. It wasn't anything I could control, really. It was a reflex.

Ayaka had been right – there he was, sitting in a lounge, surrounded by a dozen girls, like he always was. What else had I expected? I was shocked, though, to discover that he was looking right at me. His glass was raised in his hand, but he payed it no attention, just as he ignored the girls around him, who obviously seemed to become slightly mad about that. Instead of them, he stared right at me, his eyes wide in surprise. I bit my lip for a moment, not quite sure what to do, before I smiled tentatively.

Soujiro's POV

What the heck was she doing here? I mean, it's not like I was not used to her popping out of nowhere in my presence, but still, here of all places…

I belatedly remembered the girls in my presence, and a wave of shame washed over me. I felt like I had been caught at doing something rotten. Which I hand't, of course. Had I?

"Nishikado-San!" The girl which name I'd forgotten called sourly, but I had already raised myself up from my place, automatically making my way over to Yuki. She was still smiling at me in her usual bright, yet shy way and it felt like a punch right in my stomach.

"Hi" I finally said as I had reached her, not quite knowing what to say. All I knew was that I didn't like the fact that she was here, for whatever reasons.

"Hi" Yuki answered, flashing a short nervous look at the girls she had come with before returning her gaze to me.

"What are you doing here?" I blurted out, not quite able to help myself. I didn't know what it was, but her presence left me in total confusion. I mean, she had always had a way of confusing, and plainout scaring me. But still, tonight, she caught me off guard even more.

"Um, my friends from University invited me along" she answered.

"Oh" I just returned. "Um, you sould have told me that you'd come, I would have-" What would I have done? Stayed home?

"I didn't know we would come here" she explained. "I promise I'm not following you around this time!"

I had to chuckle at that, smiling at her.

"Anyways" I sighed. "Now that you're here, I can also invite you to a drink!"

"You don't need to!" she said hastily, but I cut her off with a smile and lead her to the bar, my hand on the small of her back. Her cheeks colored slightly, and I noticed that she decidedly ignored the gazes of her friends, who were silently following us to the bar.

I noticed then that she looked different tonight. Her hair had a certain waviness to it, and she had put on the slightest trace of make up. It suited her well, I thought. Then I shook my head, trying to get rid of that thought. I must be turning insane.

On the bar, we chatted a little. The usual stuff really; I asked about her studies, she asked about my tea ceremonies, we talked a little about Makino and Tsukasa… And I was surprised to find out that I was enjoying myself. After boring myself to death with those other girls, talking to Yuki really had some freshness to it.

"Um, Yuki" One of her friends spoke up, looking curiously from me to Yuki. "Why don't you explain us how you know Nishikado-San? You could have spared us some shock by just warning us beforehand!"

I chuckled, and she answered in embarrassment: "Um, a friend of mine is… acquainted with a friend of his…"

"You put marriage under the category of "aquaintance"?" I asked in amusement. She shot me a warning look, but the girls had already caught on.

"Oh my god!" the other friend whispered. "Don't you tell me you're friends with Domyouji-San's wife?"

"Best friends" I added, and she nudged me in the side with her elbow.

"Why don't you shut up?" she whispered, and I laughed at her discomfort.

"Why didn't you tell us you had such friends! We wouldn't have needed to sneak in here through the help of my stupid cousin! You don't know what I owe him for tonight!" one of the girls snapped, only halfway mad.

"Believe me, being connected to those four only brings you trouble" Yuki murmured, taking a sip of her drink.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I demanded.

"Well, look at Tsukushi and what she had to go through!" Yuki smirked, teasing me slightly.

"Yeah, and look who got her out of this mess again!" I reminded her with a glare. "It's handy to be friends with the F4, remember that!"

"I wouldn't doubt that" some male voice suddenly said, and I looked up with a frown. It had been the bar tender who had spoken. I knew his face, as well as I knew everyone else here at this club. He turned to one of the girls, smirking at her, saying: "So, I see they let you in."

She grimaced before explaining to her friends: "This is my cousin Tomoya."

"Oh, thanks so much for helping us to get in here!" The other girl smiled.

"Well, looks like my help wasn't really required" he shrugged, winking at Yuki flirtatiously. "I have to admit, I am surprised. You don't look like the girls Nishikado-San's usually bringing. You are much more beautiful."

I turned to him with a glare, but his eyes were still on Yuki. What the heck…? It was not like this was his business. And anyways, if he didn't stop looking at Yuki like that in the next 5 seconds, I'm about to show him how handy the connections of the F4 are. By having him fired.

Before I knew it, I had raised myself from my bar chair, and Yuki turned to me in confusion.

"Are you leaving?" she asked, not quite able to hide her disappointment.

"Yes" I murmured quietly, not meeting her eyes. "I'm bringing you home. Come on!" With that, I turned around, decidedly aiming for the exit, trying to gulp down my unreasonable anger. Yuki called after me in surprise, but of course, she followed me soon.

"Nishikado-San!" she called between gasps of running after me. "Wait! Why are we leaving?"

"Because" I shrugged, walking slightly slower for her to catch up with me.

"But it's still early!" she protested.

"It's already way too late for you!" I replied moodily. "This club is nothing for you. You shouldn't even be here."

"Why-" she began in confusion, but I cut her off again.

"Above all, you should stay away from guys like your friend's cousin. I know him – he's getting it on with a different girl every night. Makino will have my head if I let you flirt with boys like that."

"You mean boys like you" she added with a smirk.

I stopped, looking at her with a frown.

"What was that?"

"Well, isn't that how _you_ are, Nishikado-San?" she challenged. "Am I supposed to stay away from you, too?"

For a few moments, I was at a loss of words. Partly because she was right, partly because it hit me that she thought like that about me. Even though it was the truth. Why was it bothering me?

"That's a different matter" I murmured, quickly wanting to drop the subject. "Anyways, let's get going!"

Yuki's smile was unnerving as she followed me towards the parking lot. It didn't take long until it faded, though – precisely until we reached my bike.

"Wait!" she said, blinking. "Do you want to say you're taking me on your bike?"

It was only then that I noticed my slip. Whoopsie. I hadn't thought about that.

"I don't have any other choice, do I?" I murmured in embarrassment before handing her my helmet. I wasn't looking at her, but her smile was still so radiant it almost blinded me.

With a sigh, I got onto the bike, waiting for her to do the same.

"Hold on tight" I advised. "I'm in no mood to stop when you fall off."

"Jerk" she chuckled before sneaking her arms around my torso, holding onto me tightly. I gulped before starting the engine.

It was different, taking someone with me on the bike. I felt myself automatically driving more cautiously. I tried to tell myself it was all because I feared the consequences from Makino if I had an accident and anything happened to Yuki.

Soon, we reached the appartment building in which she had a small flat she had moved into when she had started University. I was glad to be rid of her again soon. There was something about Yuki that always set me off. I could only breathe again when she was gone.

"Thanks for taking me" Yuki said, taking the helment off and reaching it to me.

"It's ok" I murmured, about to put it on myself, but Yuki caught me off guard as she leaned up, planting a quick kiss on my cheek. I was motionless from shock, but she just smiled, wishing me a good night before disappearing into the house.

I stared after her, not quite sure what had just happened. And above all why my heart was beating so fast.

A.N.: So, did you like the first chapter? If it was kind of lame, I apologize -_-' It was the introduction to the story. The next ones will be better. I would love some reviews! Feedback is the food of every writer, isn't it? ;)


	2. Cry

A.N.: Hey, everyone! Here I am again with Chapter 2, and Yuki making a big decision. I hope you'll like it :-)

Chapter 2 – Cry

"I'm breaking your heart, but I'm breaking apart  
All you do is hold me down  
Try to make me someone I don't know  
I'm not the girl you'd thought you found

What would you do if I told you  
You can't control my life  
What would you say  
If I left today with no regrets and no goodbye  
What would you do if I told you  
There is no more you and I  
What would you say if I walked away and left you there to cry

I don't know what's coming over you  
Or how we fell apart  
I tried so hard but I don't believe in you  
You're not the guy I thought I knew"

_The Veronicas_

Yuki's POV

When I got to the University the next afternoon, I was in an incredibly good mood. Of course, I knew the exact source of this high. It was always an after effect of meeting Nishikado-San. He just had this kind of influence over me. It was not a good thing, probably, but I was past caring about that. At least for today.

"Yuki-Chan!" I heard Miki's voice, and when I turned around, I saw her and Ayaka running down the corridors towards me. I waited for them to catch up.

"Okay, now tell us EVERYTHING!" Ayaka demanded, linking arms with me. "What happened last night?"

"What du you mean?" I asked with a frown.

"Well, after Nishikado-San ran off in a jealous fit and you ran after him!" Miki prodded.

"He was not jealous" I said quietly, though I would have liked to think that he was. But I knew him better than that. "We don't have that kind of relationship!"

"That seemed different, from the way that you looked at him!" Ayaka protested.

I felt the color rise to my cheeks. So I was still that easy to read.

"I admit" I murmured. "There was a time that I had a thing for him…" … and this time was not over, but they didn't need to know that… "… but he was never interested in me that way."

"So nothing happened?" Miki asked in disappointment.

"No. He just took me home." I shrugged.

"How lame" Ayaka sighed. "And here I thought something interesting was happening to a friend of mine…"

"No" I chuckled. "My life is pretty boring. Believe me."

It was true, too. I didn't have Tsukushi's luck. No matter how long I had chased after Nishikado-San, no matter how long I had known and loved him, he would probably never see me that way. I knew it, but I prefered not to think about it.

And yet, when things like yesterday happened, I couldn't help but hope that maybe, just maybe, he was beginning to like me, too. But it was useless – whenever I next saw him, he would be trying to run from me again or whatever.

Maybe I'd be better off just giving up. But tell that someone like me.

"Matsuoka-San!" Someone called, breaking me out of my reverie. It was a teacher of mine, waving me towards her. "Do you have a minute?"

"Sure, Sensei!" I nodded, smiling at Miki and Ayaka before leaving them and walking towards her. "What is it?"

"Do you remember the exchange programme I told you about? The one that I'm doing with your sempais?" she asked.

"Of course" I nodded. "The one to Boston."

"Exactly" she answered. "And guess what? One of the students broke a bone and can't go now!"

"How terrible!" I murmured, not understanding what she was trying to say.

"It is, of course" she agreed. "But that also means we have one more free place we need to fill, and I thought about you."

"Me?" I asked, taken aback.

"Of course" she smiled. "Your grades are good, and frankly, I think you are one of the most capable students of your year."

"But…" I stuttered, in total shock. "Aren't we talking about studying abroad for a year?"

"It is a possibility in the long run" she agreed. "But in the first step, the exchange programme takes about a month. When you make a good appearance, you'll get the offer to stay for a year. No matter what, it would look good on your resume."

I was too shocked to answer. Of course, I had been impressed when she had told me of the exchange programme, but I hadn't expected it to be available for me. I was not sure if I was ready to leave Japan behind for possibly a whole year. After all, I had my whole family and friends here. It was a big decision.

"Take your time and think about it" the teacher advised, obviously noting my discomfort. "You can still decide until Friday." … Which was about 3 days, as I thought silently. "You can call me when you made the decision. But it would be a waste to leave that kind of opportunity unused." She smiled at me once more before leaving me to my thoughts.

I spend the whole day pondering about sensei's proposition. I would lie when I said it was not tempting. I had never been outside Japan, and Tsukushi had told me so much about those times she had been in the States…

But was I really ready for this? My english was terrible, I would know no one of the people I'd go with, and they would all be a year ahead of me… My friends were all here in Japan, and could I really get through all of this without them…?

… And then there was _him_. Nishikado-San. Could I stand possibly not seeing him for one year? _No_, was my immediate answer, but I knew that it was the wrong one. I mean, he wouldn't care if I was gone for a year or not, would he?

I mean, I was not even sure _what we were_, when it came down to it. I would like to say we were friends, but the term didn't seem to really apply to us. After all, I had spent half of my time chasing after him, while he ran from me. It had become better during the last year, but still, we were far from being friends. Good aquaintances, maybe.

Frankly, he wouldn't care if I went or not. It's not like he would miss me around. It was only me again.

Just as I came to this conclusion on my way home, I spotted a scene that seemed to confirm it. I walked past a restaurant, and when I sideways glanced inside, I spotted him. I seemed to have a way of always finding him. Maybe destiny was mocking me.

But he wasn't alone, of course. He never was. A girl sat across from him, a pretty one as well, and they were laughing about some joke unknown to me, seeming to highly enjoy themselves. I tried to gulp down the pain the picture brought to me. I had always known that he was a womanizer. Why did it still hurt?

I forced myself to advert my eyes from him and the girl and move on onto my way home. And it was exactly that moment that I made the decision.

I would go. I would go to America, and get over Nishikado Soujiro. I would finally move on with my life.

Soujiro's POV

"So" I chuckled, raising my glass. "To my baby cousin Mari and her engagement!"

"Shush" she chuckled, smirking at me. "Hardly anyone knows yet, so don't tell!"

"I don't get it, why is everyone around me marrying so young?" I sighed, shaking my head. "Tsukasa, you… If Akira starts as well, I'm gonna shoot myself."

"I don't think you'll have to worry about Akira" Mari laughed, rolling her eyes. "He's as bad a playboy as you."

"We are just enjoying our youth" I shrugged, taking a sip of my champagne.

"But really, is there no special girl for you?" she prodded. "It's been so long since your crush on Sara-San… I'm worried about you, Soujiro!"

I was about to tell her to back off, and that I didn't need anyone, when suddenly, Yuki crossed my mind. I blinked, confused. Why would I think of Yuki now? I remembered the way she had kissed my cheek last night, and gulped.

"Uh oh…" Mari said sheepishly. "Did I hit a weak point? Don't tell me there is really someone?"

"No" I said forcefully, frowning. "Of course there isn't."

"Look at you, getting all defensive!" she chuckled. "I'll have to have a talk with Akira about who it is that has your mind occupied!"

"There is no one!" I snapped. "Leave Akira out of that!"

"Okay, there is still Rui and Tsukasa!" she teased.

"Don't you dare!" I groaned. That would be just perfect – her talking to Tsukasa, him talking to Makino… And we have our apocalypse.

"Okay, okay" Mari laughed, taking a sip of her drink, letting the subject drop. But even as she did, the whole thing didn't seem to leave my mind.

How annoying.

A.N.: So... What do you say? Is Yuki making the right decision? PLEASE review, it would be awesome to get some feedback!


	3. In Between The Lights

A.N.: Hey, everyone! Next chapter... Starting off again with Yuki's decision.

Chapter 3 – In between lights

"Smiling in every picture  
Not me, I feel like hell  
Hey man, must be nice to be you  
Tell me what it's like on the other side

Somebody tell me how to get out of this one  
I'm going down and I lost a piece of mind  
Show me how to find my other life  
Cause I'm in between lights

Strangers crowd around me  
Faces, flashes on a lonely road  
The good life passing over  
Won't you save a little some for me

I left my hand by the side of the road  
Suitcase, ticket and I'm ready to go  
Don't ask me where cause I don't know"

_Ryan Cabrera_

Yuki's POV

"EHHHHHH?" Tsukushi asked in shock, looking up at me. "An exchange year in America? YOU?"

"Well, first it'll be only a month, but with a little luck, I'll be offered to stay for a year!" I explained.

"And you'll go on Friday? That's… that's the day after tomorrow!" she called.

"I know" I sighed. "I'm sorry, it's very sudden!"

"Well, if you really want to do this, then I'm wishing you all the luck you can get" she said slowly. "But this seems so unlike you!"

"You know…" I murmured. "I just figured I need a change of direction. And surroundings."

"I can't quite follow you" Tsukushi frowned.

I took a deep breath before leaning back into the couch pillows, saying: "You know that I've been in love with Nishikado-San for… years. And I just… I need to get past that, to get over him. And an ocean between me and him won't hurt for that."

"So, this is all because of this womanizer?" Tsukushi glared. "Wait till I get him in between my fingers…"

"Stop it" I chuckled. "I'm not really going because of him, he's just a factor. The programme is a really good one, and it would look awesome on my resume. Why not try it?"

"But you'll be so far away" Tsukushi whined. "That sucks. Who will I have to talk to?"

"Your husband?" I suggested in laughter.

"Try to talk to Tsukasa seriously and say that again!" she glared, and I chuckled.

"Point for you" I nodded. "But can you do me a favor and don't tell Doumyoji-San or anyone about me leaving until I'm actually gone?"

"Why?" she frowned.

"Because Doumyoji-San won't be able to hold his tongue, and I don't want Nishikado-San to know… If he came to say goodbye or something – not that he would, but you never know – well, my decision might waver if I see him. And I don't want that."

"Alright" Tsukushi sighed before nodding. "I'll keep it a secret."

I smiled at her.

"Thanks."

Soujiro's POV

"Souuuuuujirooooooo" Akira sighed, gently nudging the side of my head with his fist. I glared at him. The music in this club was already enough to give me a headache, so I didn't need his help with it, too. "You are boring tonight. What's wrong with you?"

"I'm not boring" I stated stubbornly. "I'm just not in the mood tonight…"

"He is boring" the girl next to Akira said loudly, snuggling into him pointedly. It was only then that I noticed that I knew her. "He's been like this a few days ago already – until this girl turned up, that is. What was she, your girlfriend?" Yup, that was how I knew her.

"No" I answered with a glare, taking a sip of my drink. But of course, Akira didn't let this comment slip. He wouldn't be Akira if he did.

"Which girl?" he asked curiously, observing my face. "If she can turn your mood this sour, I wanna meet her!"

"She has nothing to do with my mood" I groaned. "It's not important, really…"

"Well, then, who was it?" he prodded.

I sighed. I swear, sometimes, I wished Tsukasa was around to just give this nosy guy a punch when he deserved one.

"Yuki" I finally answered.

"Yuki?" he asked, taken aback. "Makino's Yuki-Chan?"

"I don't know any other Yuki's" I replied drily. "Oh wait, I do, I think… Now, she was a Yuri…"

"Forget your list of girls for a moment" he chuckled. "What was Yuki doing here? She doesn't seem the type to party…"

"She was brought here by her friends. It was no big deal, believe me." I groaned.

"Well, it certainly seemed like a big deal" the annoying girl next to Akira prodded. "All the girls were talking about it. How you took off with her, and seemed all jealous and everything…"

"WHAT?" Akira asked loudly, turning to look at me as if he had just been told the most exciting piece of gossip of this century.

"It's not like that!" I said loudly, ready to slap the big mouthed girl. "I just drove her home, nothing happened! And I wasn't jealous, there was just this stupid bar tender who started flirting with her and well – you know her, she's naïve, so I brought her home. End of story."

Akira's grin didn't waver as he observed my face.

"Stop it!" I groaned. "I said nothing happened!"

"Sure" he nodded, still grinning.

I glared, adverting my eyes from him. Stupid.

I hated it. I hated how this girl had started to make assumptions about me and Yuki, and how apparently everyone in the club had followed her example. I hated how Mari had prodded me, thinking I was in love with someone, when I _really wasn't_. I hated how Akira had grinned at me, and how he was probably making plans already to meddle into my affairs.

But most of all, I hated that everything seemed to be revolving around Yuki lately. Why couldn't I just let it be? Why was I even thinking about it? It was not like I had any special feelings for her or anything. She was just a friend, or… something like this, at least.

I did not fall in love. That thing with Sara was an exception and would not be repeated.

Above all not with Yuki. Not that it was against her, especially… No, it was against her. She and I, that did just not fit. She is way too… naïve, innocent, clingy, hyper,… The list could go on for days!

Then why was I still thinking about it? Why couldn't I just let it go? What did I care what the others said? What-

"Sou-jiro!" Rui said, drawing out the first sillable of my name as he plopped down on the chair next to me. "What's up? You've been out of it today!"

"I'm not!" I snapped, leaning back to look around at the others. "By the way, where is Makino already? Here you invite us over to your house, and the one who is supposed to bring the food is late!"

"She is on the way" Tsukasa answered, rolling his eyes. "Got held up by something, so calm down!"

"It's funny – the guy with the world's biggest temper tells me to calm down, and the mysterious-calm-ish guy tells me I seem absent-minded. What is it, change-the-roles-day?" I murmured.

"No, it's _Soujiro's-bad-mood_ week" Akira chuckled, winking at me. I only glared, being kept from throwing something at him by Makino entering the room with Pizza in her hand.

"Sorry!" she apologized as she put it down on the table. "I know I'm late!"

"Yes, you are" Tsukasa snapped, but as Makino looked up at him with eyebrows raised, he only smiled at her. I rolled my eyes, looking away from them.

"Now that the lunch is here, can you please stop flirting so we can start eating?" I demanded.

"Wow, someone's got a bad mood here" Makina frowned at me, and Akira smirked at me at her comment.

Stay calm, I told myself. You're not usually this bad tempered. This is Tsukasa's job.

"Anyways, Makino, what kept you?" Rui asked, being the first to grab a piece of Pizza.

"I had to say goodbye to Yuki on the airport, and it took a little longer!" Makino sighed as she sat down next to Tsukasa.

I looked up in confusion, the sound of Yuki's name catching my attention.

"What? Is Yuki going somewhere?" I asked, my insides doing an uncomfortable somersault.

"Yup" she nodded. "She is doing an exchange programme in America!"

I stared at her in shock, not quite understanding her words at first. America? Exchange programme? YUKI?

"Really?" Akira asked, flashing a short worried look to me before asking: "How long?"

"Well, first only a month, but with a little luck, she'll be allowed to stay a year."

"A YEAR?" I asked loudly, and everyone turned to me. It didn't matter to me, though – I was too shocked by the news. "She'll be gone for a year and she didn't even say goodbye?"

"I – It was really sudden" Makino said, seeming stunned by my reaction. "I'm sure she just forgot about it…"

"How can you forget to say goodbye?" I ranted. "Or even really tell anyone that you are leaving the continent for a year? How can she just do that? Doesn't she have any manners, or-"

"Soujiro, why are you so mad about this?" Rui asked, observing my face with curiosity.

"I'm not mad!" I snapped.

"Of course you are!" Tsukasa frowned. "Like a tiger."

"It's a lion, idiot!" I snapped. "And I'm not mad! I'm just saying-"

"He's been weird all week when it came to Yuki" Akira interrupted me, studying me as if I was some kind of science project.

"Only because everyone keeps saying I'm in love with her! WHICH I'M NOT!" I clarified.

"Really? Who is everyone? I'm hearing that for the first time!" Rui said.

"You know what my theory is" Akira said slowly. "You're starting to notice that you indeed _do_ have feelings for her, but you don't want to see it, so you're stuck in self denial and flare up at the very first hint about it. And now Yuki is gone, and that bothers you."

Every word of him hit me like a slap in the face. How could he-? What-! I…!

"You know what?" I murmured, my voice dangerously calm as I got up. "I'm not hungry." With that, I turned for the door.

"Soujiro! Come on!" Tsukasa called after me, but I just threw the door shut behind me. Through it, I heard Rui say: "I think you hit a weak point."

A.N.: Please review! It would mean the world to me! ... Or do I first need to send the F4 onto you? :-P


	4. Ghost of You

A.N.: Hey, everyone! Thanks so much for your reviews, you don't know how happy they make me! :-D Now, onto the next chapter - a dramatic climax ;) Enjoy!

Chapter 4 – Ghost of you

"Turn my back to the door  
Feel so much better now  
Don't even try anymore  
Nothing left to lose  
There's a voice that's in the air  
Saying don't look back nowhere  
There's a voice that's always there

This part of you still remains  
Though it's out of focus  
You're just somewhere that I've been

One of these days  
I'll wake up from this bad dream I'm dreaming  
One of these days  
I'll pray that I'll be over, over, over you  
One of these days  
I'll realize that I'm so tired of feeling confused  
But for now there's a reason that  
You're still here in my heart  
I'm breathing in, breathing out  
Ain't that what it's all about?  
I living life crazy loud  
Like I have the right to  
No more words in my mouth  
Nothing left to figure out,  
but I don't think I'll ever break through  
The ghost of you"

_Selena Gomez & The Scene_

Soujiro's POV

It had been exactly 2 weeks, 3 days, 1 hour and probably about 14 minutes since I had heard that Yuki had left for America. And she had not called. Not that I had waited. Okay, maybe I had. I mean, I wasn't quite sure why she should have called me in the first place, but fact was, she didn't. Just as she hadn't said goodbye.

She had called Makino, though. She had send us greetings through her. _Greetings._ Nice.

Why all of that was bothering me? Believe me, I'm wondering about that myself. But this girl just wouldn't leave my thoughts. I supposed that I was just too mad about her behaviour. At least that's what I tried to make myself believe.

Akira and everyone had another theory, of course, but I refused to believe them. I was not in love with Yuki. Never have been, and never would be.

That didn't keep me from developing an obsessive tick to check my phone every 5 minutes to see if I had a message from her, though. And it was starting to annoy me.

Next time I saw that girl, I would yell at her for being the cause of my constant bad mood.

I sighed, throwing another obligatory look at my phone (no messages, of course) before staring back out of the window, as I had done for the past few minutes. I was surprised to spot Makino walking down the path towards our house. What was she doing here? I mean, sure, we were friends, but it was still not usual for her to come by my house. With a frown, I stood up to meet her at the front door.

"Hey, Nishikado!" Makino smiled. "Were you just about to go out?"

"No, I saw you coming." I explained. "What's up?"

"Well, I just wanted to see how you're doing" she chuckled, shrugging in an apologetic manner. "The guys said they hadn't heard from you for about a week, and they didn't really dare to call you because you seemed at odds with them, so I thought I'd drop by!"

I offered her an embarrassed smile. Had I really been that bad? Well, the answer to that was simple, but still…

"So, is everything alright? Are you okay?" Makino asked, observing my impression.

"Sure. I've just been busy with work." I answered. All I big fat lie – I had spend most of my time by myself lately, caught in the endless circles of my vicious thoughts, but I could hardly say that to Makino.

"That's fine, then" she smiled. "Rui and Akira asked if you'd meet up with them in your usual club tonight. Will you?"

I sighed, frowning. "I don't know…" But as Makino raised an eyebrow in question, I gave in. "Fine, I will go, okay?"

"Good. Then I won't bother you anymore. Ah, wait, there's one more thing!" she said, turning to rummage in her purse. I leaned against the doorframe, waiting for her to find what she was looking for. When she finally did, she pulled out a photograph, handing it to me.

"Yuki wrote to me" she explained. "She said to give you all a hug from her. She's enjoying Boston quite much, and the lessons are interesting. This is a photo from a trip to Washington they made."

I looked at the photo, feeling numb. For multiple reasons, it hit me like a slap in the face.

One thing was seeing her again, for the first time since that night in the club. She wore her usual bright smile, and her eyes were shining in a beautiful manner. It made me gulp.

The other thing was the other persons on the photo. It was a group of people, about five, two of them boys. One of them had his arms around her shoulders, standing a little too close to her for my liking. I felt like my stomach had dropped several inches throughout looking at the photo. It was like a scene of an accident – I didn't want to look, but still, I couldn't look away.

"I thought you'd want to see it, considering how you reacted when you heard she was gone" Makino added, observing me. "You seemed more affected than the rest of the guys."

Her words seemed to take away the air from my lungs. It took me a huge effort to breathe.

"I'm not" I said quietly, returning the photo to her. "Affected, I mean."

"Is that so?" she sighed, but let the subject drop. "Anyways, that's all I wanted. Bye, Nishikado!"

"Bye!" I said shortly, retreating back into the house, closing the door behind me. When I heard the lock click, I sighed, leamning against the wooden surface.

Why, oh why, did the whole thing affect me so much? Even if I had told Makino that it didn't, it obviously did. It really made no sense, and the whole thing was starting to drive me insane.

It took a lot of willpower to carry myself towards the club this night. If I hadn't known that Akira and Rui were waiting for me, I wouln't have gone. It was more Rui than Akira, though – he didn't often go to the clubs lately, and as he came for me, I could hardly have not shown up.

The two were sitting in the lounge when I arrived, and Akira jumped up when he spotted me.

"Soujiro! You really came!" he called, smiling brightly.

"How could I not have, when you're sending Makino after me to give me a bad conscience!" I chuckled, plopping down next to him.

"Well, she is good at that" Rui smiled. "So, what have you been doing all the time? Why haven't you been in touch?"

"Work" I shrugged, waving for the waitress to get me something to drink.

"That's all?" Akira prodded, observing my face with worry. "Work? I mean, it doesn't have to do with-"

"If you're going to mention the name Yuki now, I'll get up again and leave straight away." I warned him.

Akira held up his hands in surrender.

"Alright, alright, I won't say anything!"

"Thank you!" I returned.

But the truth was, he didn't need to say Yuki's name to make me think of her. As much as I would have thought the club, the music, the other girls or my friends would have distracted me from her… it didn't help. She was still as present as ever, and I was starting to become desperate.

I tried it with alcohol. Usually, if I had enough alcohol intus, I stopped thinking altogether, but even that didn't seem to work tonight. I couldn't keep myself from checking my phone every now and then, or that picture of her and that other guy from flashing up in my mind.

I hated it. I wanted it to stop.

As I had drowned my seemingly thousandth drink of the night, Rui plopped down next to me, looking at me.

"You can lie to us as much as you want, Soujiro" he said in his usual soft and calm manner. "But we'll still notice there's something wrong with you. Won't you finally talk to us?"

I didn't answer, instead I waved the waitress to me once more.

"I really think you drank enough tonight, Soujiro!" Rui frowned.

"Don't tell me what to do!" I snapped. "Why is everybody doing that lately? Telling me what to do, what to feel… I have a mind of my own, you know!"

"That wasn't what I was saying-" Rui began, but I cut him off.

"You, Akira, Mari, even Makino – you have no idea, okay? So just shut the fuck up!" I called.

"What's wrong here?" Akira asked, joining us with an alarmed look. "Why are you shouting?"

"I'm not shouting!" I called, too drunk to see the irony in that statement. "I just want you to leave me alone, all of you!"

With that, I jumped up, a little too fast for my state, because Akira needed to catch my arm to keep me steady.

"Where are you going?" he asked. "You don't think we'll let you go anywhere by yourself like this…"

"Leave me ALONE!" I groaned, shrugging his hand off before stumbling towards the exit. Akira and Rui didn't seem to be following me, and I was glad about that.

When I was outside, I took a deep breath of the fresh air before looking at my phone once more. I just didn't seem able to resist the urge.

No messages. _Again._

An irrational anger ran through me, and before I knew it, I was dialing her number, and pressing call.

Like I had said before, alcohol had the tendency to stop me from thinking. And obviously, this wasn't an act that I had thought through.

It took about 5 rings till she finally picked up. I had already been close to thinking that she wouldn't pick up at all, that she was ignoring my call or whatever, when I finally heard her voice, seeming uncomfortable and nervous through the phone line.

"Nishikado-San?" she asked, before adding tentatively. "Why are you calling me?"

That sentence was my undoing, and before I knew it, I was shouting at her.

"Why I'm CALLING you? You ask why I'm CALLING you? Am I not allowed to call you? Am I supposed to ignore you the way you ignore me?"

"What?" Yuki asked, seeming surprised. "What are you talking about? I wasn't ignoring you…"

"Of course you are!" I yelled. "You are leaving for the US without even telling me, you won't say goodbye, you don't call – you haven't called once in over 2 weeks! Do you know that?"

"You wanted me to call you?" she asked in confusion.

"It wouldn't have been too much to ask, after you just disappeared without a word! How can you do something like that?"

"I-" Yuki stutterted, but I didn't let her continue. Now that I had started, there was no turning back.

"You were always there!" I shouted. "All the freaking time, clinging to me, chasing me around – and then you suddenly disappear without a word! That's not fair!"

"Nishikado-San" Yuki said slowly. "Are you – are you drunk?"

"No" I said defensively. "Yes. Whatever. Does it matter? The subject is you, Miss, not me! Are you really going to stay there for a year?" she was quiet after my words, not answering the question right away. "Are you?" I prodded, feeling like my insides were on fire in anticipation of the reply.

"I don't know. Maybe" she said quietly. "One of the teachers told me that it was very likely they would offer me to stay here."

Bam. There it was. The blow right into my guts. I tried to catch a breath, but there seemed no air, nowhere on this whole freaking planet.

"Nishikado-San?" she asked softly, her voice going through me like a knife. "Nishikado-San, are you still there?"

"You know what" I murmured. It seemed like I wasn't able to speak louder than a whisper. There was still no air. "Stay there. Do whatever you want. I don't care!" With that, I hung up, staring at the phone for a short moment before throwing it onto the ground. The way it broke into pieces on the asphalt gave me no satisfaction.

I didn't know how long I stood there, caught in my trance. I didn't wake up from it until I heard Rui's voice.

"You finally realized it, didn't you?" he asked, making me look up at him. "That you love her, I mean."

I didn't answer. I didn't need to. The answer was as clear to him as to anyone – yes. Fucking yes. I loved her. I didn't know when it happened, and how or why especially her, but I did love her. And I missed her. And I didn't know how I could stand it if she was gone for a whole year.

"I'm so stupid" I murmured, closing my eyes.

After that, everything was gone.

A.N.: So, what do you think of Soujiro's call? Please tell me, I'm so excited to hear your thoughts!


	5. Responsible

A.N.: Hey everyone! Here it is - the last chapter of this 5-shot ^^ Thanks a lot for all your support! It means the world to me! Hope you'll like the last chapter just as much!

Chapter 5 – Responsible

"You wouldn't see it coming  
I keep you guessing  
Watch while you come undone  
You were an island  
No one would dare to tread upon  
I came in like the wise men  
Ask you to take my gift of love

Careful confessions  
Can't scare you with my crime  
I learned my lesson  
Love you a little at a time  
Losing my patience  
Getting acquainted with the edge  
Ready and waiting  
Happy to stand convicted

I can't change you  
When you won't change yourself  
See you slowly becoming someone else  
I can't blame you for the strength you lack  
Scared to give me what you may not get back  
Hold me responsible  
It's all my fault,  
I want you to hold me any way you can"

_Sara Bareilles_

Yuki's POV

I left the arrival section of the Narita airport, instantly looking around for familiar faces. It didn't take me long to find them – they stood out from the crowd. Doumyoji Tsukasa, as he patted Tsukushi's head with a grin while she was craning her neck to spot me. Mimasaka Akira, with his leather jacket and his very own easy smile. And Hanazawa Rui, looking as uninvolved as ever. Only _he_ was missing. But I hadn't expected him to come anyways.

So I put on my best smile as I made my way towards them. Hanazawa-San was the first one to spot me, nudging Tsukushi in the shoulder and pointing in my direction. When she had finally seen me, she squealed, running towards me to hug me.

"YUKI! I missed you so much! It's so good to have you back!"

"It's good to be back, too!" I agreed, hugging her tightly.

"I know it sounds mean" Tsukushi said as she let go of me. "But I'm kind of glad that you didn't get to stay for a whole year. It would have been hell to have you gone for so long!"

"Um…" I smiled in embarrassment. "Actually, they offered me to stay. I just declined."

Tsukushi looked at me in surprise.

"You declined? Why?"

"I just… figured out that I can still finish my studies here in Tokyo, but there is something else that I can't have when I stay in Boston." I said secretively.

"Eh?" Tsukushi asked in confusion, but Hanazawa-San and Mimasaka-San exchanged smiles, seeming to be getting my point. I wondered how much they knew. Not that it surprised me – Mimasaka-San seemed to have his way to always meddle with the affairs of his friends, and Hanazawa-San… He just seemed to know_ everything_.

As I looked from one to another, I couldn't help but ask: "Where is Nishikado-San?"

"Um, we couldn't reach him" Tsukushi said with an apologetic look. "He didn't pick up the phone."

"The last time anyone of us saw him was the day after he called you" Mimasaka-San explained.

"Yup. He threw us out of the house with the order to leave him alone. We thought it better to oblidge" Hanazawa-San added.

"He is stubborn, isn't he?" I sighed.

"Always been that way. Never gonna change." Hanazawa-San shrugged.

"Am I the only one who seems to be missing something?" Doumyoji-San spoke up in confusion, looking from his friends to me.

"No, for once, you're not" Tsukushi murmured. "When has Nishikado called you? What is this all about?"

"I'll explain it to you later, I promise" I said, giving her a smile. "But first, can you do me a favor?"

"Sure" she frowned.

I got the key to my flat out of my pocket and gave it to her.

"Could you and Doumyoji-San please drive to my flat and drop my baggage of? We'll meet in 2 hours at your house, I promise. I just have something to do first." Then, I turned to Hanazawa-San and Mimasaka-San. "Could one of you drive me?" I asked, raising my eyebrows at them.

Hanazawa-San smiled, waving with his car keys.

"Gotcha"

It didn't take long for Hanazawa-San to drive me to Nishikado-San's house. When he held in front of it, I had to smile involuntarily. It had been too long since I had been here the last time.

"Thank you" I smiled at Hanazawa-San as I unfastened my seat belt.

"He has a back door" he said quietly. "I would block it if I were you. He has a way of always running when things are getting important."

"Believe me" I chuckled. "I know that."

"Okay" he smiled. "Good luck."

"Thanks" I nodded before opening the door and getting out. I had a feeling I would need that luck.

As Hanazawa-San drove away, I took in the sight of the house, taking a deep breath. Then, I walked up to ring. An employee opened, telling me that Nishikado-San was in his tea ceremony room and telling me to just go ahead. It was clear she remembered me from my earlier visits, or she wouldn't have let me pass like that. But it was convenient – like this, he couldn't be warned.

I made my way through the familiar corridors, and at last the interior garden, until I reached the open door of the room. He was sitting on the floor, cleaning some of his equipment, not noticing me.

I smiled before stepping inside. Finally, he looked up – and froze.

I smiled at him, nervousness and the giddy feeling of seeing him again mixing themselves together in my belly, making me want to scream out of excitement.

"I'm back" I only said.

He blinked, before flashing a short look to the door.

"Don't you dare" I chuckled. "Remember, I'm used to chasing after you. You won't come far. Besides, I wear the better shoes for running." I added, pointing first to my sneakers and then to his sandals.

He sighed, looking down.

"I guess you're right" he murmured, avoiding my gaze.

I smiled before plopping down on the floor in front of him.

"I'm sorry" I said seriously, looking at him.

"For what?" he asked quietly.

"For just leaving like that without telling you. You were right, it was not fair." I said. When he still wouldn't answer nor look at me, I added: "I just didn't think that you would care."

"I didn't either" he admitted, still not looking up.

I chuckled.

"You kind of scared me with that phone call, you know!"

"I think I scared myself most" he sighed, taking his tea equipment and standing up, carrying it to the next cupboard. It seemed like he wanted to busy himself to not have to look at me.

I got up as well, walking after him.

"But I'm still glad you called" I said as he put everything into the free space of the cupboard carefully. "Otherwise, I'd probably have stayed in Boston and missed the only chance I might ever get."

He turned around, catching his breath as he finally looked at me. He didn't seem to have realized that I had followed him and was standing this close.

"Do you still want to run away from me?" I asked softly, noticing his discomfort.

"I don't know" he admitted. "You always have me at edge. It scares me."

I looked down, and after collecting all my courage, I reached out and took his hand. I knew there was no turning back now. It was either all, or nothing. He didn't draw his hand away, and I laced my fingers through his. His palm was cold and sweaty.

"Just because a love once failed for you, love doesn't have to necessarily be a bad thing, you know?" I said gently. He was looking at our intertwined hands before looking up at me, and I mean really looking at me, for the first time today.

Before I knew it, he had crossed the distance between us and pulled me into his arms. I was too shocked to react first – frozen in his embrace.

"I love you" he whispered. "I didn't want to, but I just can't help it. You are able to touch me like no one else ever could. And when you were gone… I realized how miserably I was without you"

I was silent for one more moment or two, and then I chuckled, sneaking my arms around his waist to hold him tightly.

"It's funny, if you think about it" I said. "I went to Boston to get over you, and all I did was bonding us to each other stronger."

"Distance makes the heart grow fonder" he murmured. "Never heard of it?"

"I did" I smiled, looking up at him. "And it seems to be true."

The corners of his mouth turned into the slightest smile, and then he cupped my cheek in his right hand and bend down to me. I closed my eyes, and then he was kissing me.

I had imagined this moment for years. I had imagined cenarios, circumstances, from probable to impossible, had imagined the way he would kiss me, the way it would feel, everything. You'd think I'd be prepared, but nothing could have prepared me for this moment.

His lips moved against mine gently, carefully, as if he was afraid of breaking me apart if he was being too harsh. I felt his breath against my lips, sweet and hot, and his free hand went through my hair, making me shiver.

My insides felt like they were about to explode with new born butterflies. I wanted more. He was being too careful. I couldn't take it. So I brought my hands up around his neck, knotting them in his hair, pulling him closer to me. He couldn't be close enough.

He moaned ever so slightly as I deepened our kiss, running my tongue over his lower lip, begging for entrance. He granted it, and as our tongues touched, I was lost.

I felt whole. Complete. For the first time in my life.

When we broke apart for air, we were both gasping, short of breath. I hugged him close, taking in his scent – how had I ever seriously considered getting over him? I must have been insane.

"I guess my womanizing days are over now" he murmured into my hair.

"I hope so, or I will have Tsukushi kill you" I smirked.

He chuckled at that, bending down to catch my lips with his again.

"As much as I'd love to stay like this" I whispered against his lips. "We do have an appointment."

"An appointment?" he frowned in confusion, looking at me.

I just grinned.

"Yup, an important one."

It wasn't long after that we were led to the living room of Tsukushi and Domyouji-San's house by the employes. My hand was in Soujiro's as we walked through the corridors. I looked up at him, and he flashed me a smile as he caught my eye.

"Be honest" he said. "When we walk in there hand in hand right now, will there be really anyone in the room who will be surprised at this?"

"Yes. Doumyoji-San" I chuckled. "And maybe Tsukushi, too. She hasn't been that fast lately."

"Her husband must be rubbing off on her." He murmured, and I chuckled, squeazing his hand before we finally entered the living room.

Everyone else was there already, from Hanazawa-San to Mimasaka-San to Doumyoji-San to Tsukushi. Everyone looked up as soon as they noticed us, and fell silent immediately. Hanazawa-San and Mimasaka-San smiled as they noticed us holding hands.

"Well, well, look who's back to the living" Mimasaka-San teased, and Soujiro rolled his eyes at him, but smiled.

Doumyoji-San and Tsukushi were just staring at us as we sat down on a free couch, still not letting go of the other's hand.

"I mean, I had a hint about what's going on" Tsukushi murmured, shaking her head. "But I still can't say that I expected this."

"Well, surprises are nice, too, aren't they?" Soujiro joked, reaching for a cookie out of the bole in front of us.

"You should know, seeing as you were the most clueless of all of us!" Hanazawa-San teased. "And I'm including Tsukasa!"

"Ehhh?" Doumyoji-San looked up at him in confusion, and Soujiro threw the cookie after him. Hanazawa-San caught it before it could hit him, and Soujiro laughed, shaking his head.

"There I thought he'd be easier to get along with when he finally has you" Hanazawa-San shrugged before biting into the cookie. "You've got a lot of work to do, Yuki-Chan."

"Oh, I know that" I smiled.

Soujiro glared at me playfully, and I smirked. It would be the best job in the world. Totally worth giving up a year in Boston.

A.N.: Here we are. Hope you liked it! Please let me hear your thoughts! Love you all!


End file.
